Tongue switch holding device



Feb. 28, 1933. E. BELL, JR., ET AL ,8

TONGUE SWITCH HOLDING DEVICE Filed Nov, 24, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS lsraeZKDLw/z I i'dwardBeZLfi- BY ATTORNEYS Feb. 28, 1933. E. BELL, JR.. ET AL 3 TONGUE SWITCH HOLDING DEVICE Filed Nov. 24, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQRS Israel K 190x01;

.EdWaMBeZLJ? Cr Y B ATTORNEYS 7 cured in the switch bOdygJT Pi a Patented :Feb.;.28; i933? EDW RD'BE L,alic enntrsnenrlx;nrxom orgionnsrow'u, mmmnm Q I E wlicli Howmamvms ,fa tiication ered November: 24, 19 311. Serial 110,577,068; i 7

This inventionv relates to. railway track structures and particularly to specific means and design'of devices for holding. down the heel of aitongue switch. The characteristic feature of-the designresides'in'thefact that a removable or replaceablepin is employed which need not resist lateralforces exerted. on"

the switch. This pin isarrangedto cooperate With the member 'whichireacts upwardly on the pin and downwardly on' the'switch-heel'so as to effectively normally hold the heel on its seat. And'la'djust' ablejorcompensating means are provided forexerting a'forceon the meme her so that wear on theheel can be compensated for. Further featuresofthe invention l e-1 side in the specific arrangement of the parts and the peculiar cooperative relationship j more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

f The invention; will be apparent from the 1 following specification when read in jc'onneck'. tion with the accompanyingdrawing :in

W ic =i+ a I ,e

Fig- .1 is arplanview of a portion of the switch structure embodying the invention withpor tionsbroken away and shown in sec I tionin the interestofclelarness; v i

1 represents the body portion of the switch 3 which is provided With a bearing portion. 12

Fig. 2eis a vertical section. ol line*2' 2 of -ig. f 3 is? a' view similarto Fig, 1 illustrat ing an alternative embodiment of the inveni i a I Eig i4is asection on line4+ 4 of Referring in detail; tothe drawings;

including a substantially cylindrical bearing seat 14 for the heel oportion16 ofthe switch tongue 18. The bottom surface 20 of the heel is adapted to'seat squarely onia bearing surface 2201: the switch body and vthe particular feature of the present invention relates to animproved design and arrangement, of parts whereby the lower surface 20 of the heel is held down firmly contact with the bearing surface 22 of the switch body. -For accomplishing this purpose, two alternative arrangements of theinvention areshown.

In the design of Figsl" and 2, Lwe provide a-pin 24 which is replaceable or removably-seextendsthrough this aperture and into a formed in a jbox-like portion 48] I ofthe switch bodyQ within the chamber '46.f

flang {26 which; 'bears 'on'l an overhanging ,shoulder 28 formed by counter-boring .to the bottom of thefswitch body; 'The'pin makes a relat vely loose fit withthe, central hub portion 30 of. the switch tongue and iti here function of thepin being to form a remov-f.

able-element of the hold-edown deviceh The pinhas'a hollow portion 32, as shown and" opening into this hollow portion, there is a slot 34; through which proj ects'a' me1nber'36.

The freeend of this member reacts upwardly e against the surface 381 fof'the pin and a por-l, tion 40 of said member engages a fulcrum portion42 formed on the heel of the switch tongue. ,The tongue is transversely-apertur'ed as indicated, at 44, and the member 36 chamber 46' head'f52jof this bolt is "seatedfin a suitably ranged, it will beu'nderstood that byscrew body. As wear occurs, ,itwill be readilyun+ for by applying a suitable socket wrench or similar tool to the nut"56.jAccess, to this adjusting nut, may be gained by removing a cover. 58, which normally encloses the parts ,In, the modified construction, shown in E'igs. 3 land 4,"the switchbody 710 includes e a rbox like portion 46?; to [which access may a be gained'to' a wear take up dev1ce,,ind1cated asa-whole at This deVlCecOlflpllS es" a wedge member 62, the inclined surface 64 of whichreacts againstthe upper surface s 66 of a slot extending transverselythrough' a pin Which'serves substantially) the same '100- .no'tedthat the pin 24 is not intended to resist any transverse strainstransmitted to the r swltchftongue or to theheelthereof;thechief 2 I H I freelythrough outer] extremity of the member 36and1the'squared f 7i: undercut slot 54,-as shown. ,As thus' ar e to automatically compensate for such wear;

in the chamber 46 of the switch body. As

thus arranged, it is clear thatthe spring 76 pressing against the nut 74 urges the wedge member 62 toward the pin and that thcuar rangement of the parts is suchthat the wedg-. ing' action reacts upwardly on the pin 68 and downwardly on, the surf-ace 72 of the switch heel, thereby tending to hold the heel firmly on its seat. As wear develops,,it will be appreciated that thespring will expand It will also be appreciated that by turning up the nut 74:, adjustability of the wear take-' up is providedfor.

In both of the embodiments of the invem tion above described, it is to benoted that the'holdingdown force is etf'ected substantially at the center ofoscillation of the switch heel and the holding down force is exerted against a removable pin'me nber, whose chief function is to serve as a hold down device and that this pin is not subjected to any lateral strains, nor is it intended to serve in any sense asa pivot for the swltch tongue.

One feature of the design lies in its siinplicity of construction, there being relatively few parts as compared with prior devices heretofore used. -All parts can be readily removed for replacementor repair and various elements can" be assembled, adjusted, or replaced-with accuracy and dispatch. V

Whilewe have described quite specifically the specific design and arrangement of parts herein illustrated, it is to be understood that the description and illustration is tobe interpreted in an illustrative rather than a limitin'g sense and that the claims are to be construed as'broadly as is consistent with the prior state of-the art; I J

lVhat we claim is 2- g 1. A tongue switch, comprising a, switch body, a tongue having a heel portion journalled in a bearing of the switch body, said bearing including a seat, a hold-down lde vice comprising an apertured pin mounted in a nalled in a bearing of the switch body, said bearing including a seat, a hold-down device comprising a pin having a flange which is removably seated against a shoulder formed in the switch body, a member extending laterally of said pin and reacting upwardly thereon and downwardly on the heel and meanstending to movesaid member relatively to the spin and the switch body, so as to firmly holdthe heel of the tongue down ,onsaidseat, a

3. A tongue switch comprising a switch body, a tongue having a heel, a seat in the switchbody forsaid heel, a pin removably seatedin the switch body and extending axially intoandpivotally engaging said heel,

a member fulcrumed on said heel and reacting upwardly against said pin and means engaging the switch body and said member tending to rock the member on said fulcrum. 1

.4 A tongue switch comprising ,a switch body, a switch tongue having a heel portion whose entire under side is fiat and devoid of projections,.said heelfbeing journalled. in thesw itchbody, a switch body having a flat tongue seat, a pin removably secured in said switch body and extending upwardly through the tongue seat into said heel, a

member fulcrumed on a portion of the heel and extending to the interior of said pin, a

bolt reacting against theswitch body and carrying a nut capable of rocking saidflmem- 'ber about said fulcrum.

5. A tongue switch comprising a switch body, a tongue having a heel portion journalled therein, a switch body having a seat for said heel, a hold-down pin removably seated in-theswitch body, said pin being slotted transversely and having'a wedge face,

a wedge member projecting through the slotted pin and means carried by the wedge member and react ng against the switch body, tending to force the wedge member transversely'of the pin so as to press the heel firmly on said seat.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names' .EDWVARD BELL, J R.

ISRAEL K. DIXON.

seat formed in the bottom of the switch body and a member entering the aperture .in the pin and reacting upwardly on the apertured part of the pin and downwardly on the switch heel and means exerting a force on said member, tending to hold, the heel of the switch firmlydown on its seat. r

2.- A tongue switch, comprising at switch V body,a tongue havinga heel portion jour- 

